{"id":2694,"date":"2014-06-30T10:53:43","date_gmt":"2014-06-30T17:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/?p=2694"},"modified":"2014-06-30T10:53:43","modified_gmt":"2014-06-30T17:53:43","slug":"your-first-dui-not-worth-the-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/your-first-dui-not-worth-the-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Your First DUI — Not Worth the Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t think that first-time DUI in California is something that you can easily minimize on your driving record by attending traffic school. The State of California takes DUI charges seriously with the following terms for a misdemeanor conviction, assuming no deaths or injuries and that you are of legal drinking age:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Up to $1,000 in fines, in addition to other penalty charges resulting in a total approximate charge of $1,800
\n\u2022 Up to 6 months in jail
\n\u2022 License suspension for a minimum of 4 months
\n\u2022 Installation of an ignition interlock device.
\n\u2022 Required attendance and successful completion of an alcohol-treatment program; the length is based on factors such as your BAC at the time of arrest
\n\u2022 SR22 Filing, which is an expensive insurance designed for DUI offenders<\/p>\n

For those who are underage and get a DUI in California<\/a>, there is an additional charge of illegal alcohol possession as well. The terms are also harsher for those that are under 21.<\/p>\n

What does this mean for the future of your driving privileges? This DUI charge will stay on your record for 10 years and any repeating offense will bring on tougher terms of punishment and longer suspensions, or even the revocation of your license, depending on the severity of the crime.<\/p>\n

If you still have driving privileges after a DUI arrest, you\u2019ll have to file for SR22 Insurance. An SR22 Insurance is also known as DUI Insurance; the \u201cSR\u201d stands for safety responsibility. This document, prepared and filed by an insurance company, informs the DMV that you have an insurance policy after getting your license suspended from a DUI, reckless driving, driving without insurance, or anything else that could result in license suspension.<\/p>\n

For a DUI in California, you\u2019ll have to pay for the SR22 Insurance<\/a> for 5 years. If at any time you do not pay the premium, your insurance company will file an SR26 form. An SR26 immediately notifies the DMV your insurance has lapsed. The result? Your license will once again be suspended until you have SR22 Insurance again.<\/p>\n

The premium on DUI Insurance<\/a> that you\u2019ll be paying for getting that first DUI in California will vary, depending on a few factors:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Driving record and accidents. More driving violations, accident claims, and DUIs result in higher premiums.
\n\u2022 Credit score. Good credit scores get lower rates.
\n\u2022 Miles driven. The more miles driven, the higher the rates.
\n\u2022 Occupation. Jobs that require lots of driving will have premiums that will be higher.
\n\u2022 Location. Crime rates in your neighborhood will also determine your premium.
\n\u2022 Age. Drivers under 25 pay more; drivers between 50 and 65 pay less.
\n\u2022 Gender and marital status. Women have fewer accidents and pay less than men. A married person is considered more stable and will receive a lower rate than a driver with a similar record.
\n\u2022 Type of car. Powerful or more expensive cars will also pay more for the DUI Insurance.<\/p>\n

Even for the first time, a DUI in California can affect your life dramatically. Be smart \u2013 keep your driving privileges and don\u2019t get behind the wheel when you are intoxicated.<\/p>\n

Do you think DUI laws are too tough, or not tough enough? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t think that first-time DUI in California is something that you can easily minimize on your driving record by attending traffic school. The State of California takes DUI charges seriously with the following terms for a misdemeanor conviction, assuming no deaths or injuries and that you are of legal drinking age: \u2022 Up to $1,000 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2708,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[174,280,575],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2694"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}